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PubMed1996

Environmental causes of cancer among Native Americans.

Age-adjusted mortality from cancer is steadily increasing among Native Americans, raising concern about environmental causes. Toxic waste dumps, mining activities, paper mills, military activities, agricultural chemicals, and urban pollution are common sources of carcinogen exposure on reservations and among the urban poor. Despite documented hazards, we do not see a pattern of cancer excess that might result if Native Americans were exposed to these carcinogens more than other Americans. Abuse of tobacco can be shown to be the most important contributor to cancer mortality among Native Americans. Although there are good reasons for environmental regulation and clean-up, the most cost-effective method of cancer prevention is tobacco control.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The serologic prevalence of Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) complement-fixing antibodies in the Peninsular bighorn sheep of Southern California.

Q fever is a rare illness in the Southern California desert. During the past 34 years only 6 patients have been diagnosed with the disease at the Eisenhower Medical Center, a referral center for much of the desert and surrounding mountains. In all but 2 instances, Q fever was identified in patients who have been in contact with imported domestic sheep who are brought to the desert to graze and lamb in the fall and winter. The sheep are sent back to Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana in the spring. With frequent infection by Coxiella burnetii established in domestic sheep, we elected to study the prevalence of complement fixing antibodies to Coxiella burnetii in native bighorn sheep who reside in the lower levels of the mountains surrounding the desert. From 1992 to 1999, of 268 serum samples drawn from male and female lambs and adult sheep, 27 tested positive (10%), which is strikingly low when compared with Dall sheep in Alaska (12 of 15), kangaroos, wild rabbits, and brown rats. Because changes have been made in Peninsular bighorn sheep habitat since the animals were listed as endangered in 1998, further follow-up in Q fever serology testing will be of interest.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

The changing Alaskan experience. Health care services and cultural identity.

Before Western contact, Alaskan Native populations were self-sufficient in their health practices. Slowly, the Native health care system was replaced by a Western one which was highly effective in treating infectious diseases. As infectious diseases were brought under control by the Indian Health Service, the emergent leading health problems were related to violence, attributed in part to cultural disintegration. New types of Native health providers and new Native-controlled institutions evolved to provide culturally appropriate health and mental health services and to promote a stronger cultural identity.

Alaska↗

PubMed2005

Disparities in chronic disease risk factors and health status between American Indian/Alaska Native and White elders: findings from a telephone survey, 2001 and 2002.

We compared prevalence estimates of chronic disease risk factors and health status between American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) and White elders. We used 2001 and 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to estimate the prevalence of smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, diagnosed diabetes, and general health status. For all health behavior and status measures, American Indians/Alaska Natives reported greater risk than did Whites. Risk factors among AIAN elders need to be addressed to eliminate disparities in chronic diseases.

Alaska↗

PubMed1986

The interaction of mental illness, criminal behavior and culture: native Alaskan mentally ill criminal offenders.

The rapid changes experienced by non-Western ethnic groups as they become "acculturated" to Western life-styles are frequently associated with disintegration of the traditional cultures and psychosocial dysfunction of the groups' members. How culture changes lead to maladaptation remains a mystery. As a first step in clarifying this relationship, this paper proposes a method for analyzing the interaction of cultural change and psychosocial maladjustment. It uses Native Alaskans as a paradigmatic example of a group that is undergoing rapid changes and describes in detail a maladjusted subgroup of Native Alaskans--mentally ill criminal offenders. It compares 567 Native Alaskan criminal offenders who were referred to mental health professionals (from 1977 thru 1981) to 939 White Alaskan offenders. We find that alcohol abuse, the dominant social problem for Native Alaskans, is not clearly associated with the degree of sociocultural change. Residence in larger communities and higher educational achievement are associated with greater psychosocial maladjustment. The region of residence (i.e., Native Corporation) has a stronger influence on the rate and type of maladjustment than the ethnic group (i.e., Eskimo, Indian, or Aleut) or the "ethnic density" of the community of residence (i.e., the proportion of Native Alaskans in the population). We emphasize the importance of using such quantitative findings to focus the questions that should be addressed by ethnographic research.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1981

Primary hepatocellular carcinoma in Alaskan natives, 1969-1979.

The records of 20 Alaskan Native patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) diagnosed in the 11-year period 1969-1979 were reviewed. The annual incidence of PHC was found to be high among Alaskan Native males and especially high among Alaskan Eskimo males (7.6 and 11.2 per 100,000 respectively) in comparison to Greenland and Canadian Eskimos and US white males. Familial and geographic clustering of PHC patients was noted in areas known to be hyperendemic for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. A bimodal age distribution among PHC patients occurred with peaks at 15-25 years and 40-65 years. A high prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in serum of patients in the younger age group suggests that HBV infection might be a factor associated with the development of PHC in young Eskimos. PHC in Alaskan Natives is apparently not closely associated with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of fetal alcohol syndrome in American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Canadian Aboriginal peoples: a review of the literature.

A critical review of available reports on the epidemiology of fetal alcohol syndrome among American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Aboriginal peoples of Canada was completed. A search of Medline, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Database, and other relevant data bases was conducted. The reference lists of several publications on fetal alcohol syndrome were reviewed, and four prominent researchers and four government agencies were contacted to identify unpublished articles. This search identified 10 studies, 8 of them cross-sectional. Four of these studies used primary data from the authors' evaluations of children suspected of having fetal alcohol syndrome; the other six used secondary data. The prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome in the American Indians of the United States and Aboriginal peoples of Canada was consistently high across the 10 studies. These studies have significant restrictions which limit both the confidence in the rates reported and the generalizability of the results. Three studies used data from the province of British Columbia. No study evaluated all children in the study area. Only two studies reviewed death certificates. In only one study were examiners blinded to maternal alcohol use, and no study presented evidence on the sensitivity and specificity of either the screening efforts or diagnostic criteria. Such evidence is especially important in studies of secondary data and in studies that report rates for newborn populations. Studies of the sensitivity and specificity of both the screening and diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol syndrome would be useful areas for further study. Other study designs, including longitudinal cohort studies, are needed. Additional studies of populations of the American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Aboriginal peoples of Canada, where low rates of fetal alcohol syndrome are suspected, should be completed. Reviews of death certificates may also bea potentially important source of cases.

Alaska↗

PubMed1978

High frequency of hydatidiform mole in native Alaskans.

The frequency of hydatidiform mole per delivery in the native Alaskan for fiscal years 1969 through 1974 was 1:257. Nutritional studies do not support the suggestion of protein deficiency as an etiologic factor. It is suggested that genetic factors may be involved.

Alaska↗

PubMed1996

Spondyloarthropathies in circumpolar populations: I. Design and methods of United States and Russian studies.

Parallel epidemiologic studies of spondyloarthropathy in aboriginal circumpolar populations were carried out by U.S. and Russian investigators. These complementary studies used the same data collection instrument and disease criteria to facilitate comparisons. During three expeditions to Siberia, Russian investigators collected cross-sectional data from four settlements of Eskimos and Chukchi Indians on the Chukotka peninsula for a study of disease prevalence. U.S. researchers collected cross-sectional data from Eskimos in four Alaskan regions for studies of prevalence and longitudinal data for studies of clinical manifestations, natural history, disease impact, and health care utilization. The aims of these studies were to describe the spectrum of spondyloarthropathy in these populations, and to lay the groundwork for investigations of the role of specific genetic and environmental factors in the pathogenesis and expression of disease. These studies were carried out with a minimum disruption to the native people.

Alaska↗

PubMed1998

Sex partners of Native American drug users.

This study describes patterns of sexual behavior and condom use in a sample of Native American drug-using men and women (N = 114). Data are self-reports of sexual behavior in the last 30 days, including descriptions of the most recent sex partners up to five. These data provided information on 157 sex partner pairs, of which at least one partner was a drug user. Native American women (55%) were more likely than Native American men (23%) to report never using condoms for vaginal and anal sex in the last 30 days. Compared with other ethnic pair combinations, sex partner pairs composed of Native American women and white men (n = 18) were the least likely to use condoms (6% of pairs) and the most likely to report an injection drug user (IDU) sex partner (33% of pairs). These results suggest a potential vector of HIV and other sexually transmitted disease (STD) transmission between white male IDUs and Native American women and highlight the need for further qualitative and quantitative research to examine the factors underlying this pattern of sexual risk behavior.

Adult↗

PubMed1965

RADIOACTIVITY MEASURED IN ALASKAN NATIVES, 1962-1964.

Measurements of the cesium-137 content of northern Alaskan natives during the summer of 1964 indicated that the adults of the interior village of Anaktuvuk Pass had the highest average body burden: 1280 nanocuries of cesium-137. This is an increase of 200 percent over the average body burden found in the summer of 1962 and 100 percent over that found in the summer of 1963. The greatest burden found in a native in 1964 was 2.4 microcuries of cesium-137, but the highest burden of all, 3.0 microcuries, was measured in a non-native living mainly on caribou meat. Sodium-22 was found in samples of urine from Eskimos, and subsequently in the Eskimos themselves and in reindeer and caribou meat.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Breast cancer survival of American Indian/Alaska Native women, 1973-1996.

OBJECTIVE: To assess breast cancer mortality rates among American Indian/Alaska Native women compared with non-Hispanic White women in the five years after diagnosis. METHODS: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data from 1973-1996 were used to compare survival in the two races, controlling for age, marital status, stage, and therapy. RESULTS: The adjusted relative hazard of death was 58% higher for American Indian/Alaska Native women than for non-Hispanic White women (HR = 1.58, 95% Cl 1.26-2.00). The survival disparity persisted even when limited to women who received definitive therapy, i.e. mastectomy with axillary node dissection or breast-conserving surgery with axillary node dissection and radiation treatment (HR = 1.88, 95% Cl 1.40-2.52). CONCLUSIONS: American Indian/Alaska Native women were at greater risk for breast cancer mortality than non-Hispanic White women, even when restricted to women who received definitive breast cancer therapy.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Characterization of parvalbumin, the major allergen in Alaska pollack, and comparison with codfish Allergen M.

Increased fish consumption has led to frequent reporting of fish allergy and adverse reactions. Alaska pollack (Theragra chalcogramma) is a globally important commercial fish species, belonging to the Gadidae family. This family of fish also includes cod whose parvalbumin, Allergen M (Gad c 1), has been thoroughly studied and considered as a reference to sensitization in fish allergy. In the present study, parvalbumin from Alaska pollack, designated The c 1, was purified by use of anion exchange chromatography. To demonstrate the homogeneity of the purified protein, reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography was performed and showed two distinct fractions which had similar IgG and IgE binding capacities. Accordingly, cDNA cloning revealed two isotypic parvalbumin transcripts in pollack muscle. Recombinant parvalbumins of pollack exhibited low IgG and IgE binding capacities, in contrast to the native counterparts, which were almost as potent as cod Gad c 1. The allergenicity of The c 1 was assayed by ELISA inhibition, and compared to cod, the concentration required for obtaining 50% ELISA inhibition (C 50%) was only 18% higher for The c 1.

Allergens↗

PubMed1975

Vitamin E status of Alaskan Eskimos.

A survey was conducted during 1971-1973 on the vitamin E status of Alaskan Eskomos. The subjects were 315 residents of the northern coastal villages of Wainwright and Point Hope and the southwestern inland villages of Kasigluk and Nunapitchuk. Plasma vitamin E levels for the 6- to 17-year-old subjects at Wainwright, Point Hope, and Nunapitchuk were 0.81 plus or minus 0.26, 0.90 plus or minus 0.20, and 0.84 plus or minus 0.25 mg/100 ml (mean and standard deviation), respectively. The values for adults at Wainwright, Point Hope, and Kasigluk were 1.23 plus or minus 0.27, 1.23 plus or minus 0.27, and 1.27 plus or minus 0.33 mg/100 ml, respectively. No value less than 0.30 mg/100 ml was observed. Alpha-tocopherol was the only isomer present in significant amounts. Plasma vitamin E levels did not change significantly between 6 and 17 years of age; however, a steady increase with age was observed in the 18- to 69-year-old groups. Plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations were significantly lower in children than in adults but there were no differences attributable to sex or geographic location. Vitamin E concentration in the blood plasma was linearly correlated with cholesterol concentration. Values are reported for the vitamin E content of some native foods. This study indicates that plasma vitamin E levels in Alaskan Eskimos consuming a high meat or fish diet are comparable to those in adults of the United States consuming a mixed diet.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Trends in asthma-related admissions among American Indian and Alaskan native children from 1979 to 1989. Universal health care in the face of poverty.

OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in asthma-related hospitalizations in Indian Health Service facilities and compare with national trends. DESIGN: Trend analysis. PATIENTS AND SETTING: Hospital discharge records of patients aged 17 years and younger treated by the Indian Health Service between 1979 and 1989. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients discharged with asthma as the first listed diagnosis. RESULTS: The rates of asthma-related hospitalizations increased an average of 2.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1 to 5.2) per year between 1979 and 1989 among American Indian and Alaskan Native children aged 0 to 17 years. The increase was 3.7% among the 0- to 4-year age group (95% CI, 2.0 to 5.5) and 0.3% (95% CI, 0.26 to 0.3) among the 5- to 17-year age group. Boys tended to have a higher rate of increase (4.3% [95% CI, -0.1 to 8.7]) compared with girls (2.6% [95% CI, -0.2 to 5.4]). The rates for any hospitalization decreased during this period for 0- to 4-year-olds (-7.5% [95% CI, -10.5 to -4.5]). Little change was noted in hospitalization rates for lower respiratory tract diseases. Diagnostic transfer from bronchitis/bronchiolitis to asthma could not explain the increase. Both first admission and readmission for treatment of asthma contributed to the increase. Compared with previously published data, 0- to 4-year-old American Indian and Alaskan Native children more closely approximate white children than black children in both rates of hospitalization (1979-1987) and annual percentage increase in hospitalization (1979-1989 for American Indian and Alaskan Native children and 1979-1987 for white and black children) for the treatment of asthma. CONCLUSIONS: American Indian and Alaskan Native children who are cared for by the Indian Health Service have asthma-related hospitalization patterns that are similar to those seen in white children despite having socioeconomic characteristics more similar to those of black children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Cigarette smoking among American Indians and Alaskan Natives--Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1987-1991.

Cardiovascular disease and cancer are two of the leading causes of premature death among American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Although cigarette smoking contributes to these diseases, cigarette smoking behaviors among American Indians and Alaskan Natives have not been well characterized nationally. To better assess the impact of smoking on these populations, CDC analyzed data obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) during 1987-1991. This report summarizes the findings from this study.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1977

The sudden infant death syndrome among Alaskan natives.

Among Alaskian natives the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) occurs at a rate somewhat less than that reported for native Americans indigenous to temperate latitudes. Cases occurred in both the arctic and subarctic regions of the state and among all but one of the ethnically distinct native population groups. No striking male predisposition was evident. These findings are, in general, similar to previously reported accounts from the states of California and Washington. Any theory of SIDS epidemiogenesis must take into account its wide geoethnic and peculiar sex distribution.

Alaska↗

PubMed1980

Cancer in Alaskan Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts.

Standard incidence ratios for cancers that occurred during 1969--73 among Alaskan Natives (Indians and Eskimo-Aleuts) were reported. Although data suggested that the overall rate of cancer in this population was close to that of U.S. whites, differences existed for certain cancer sites. Thus increased risks in Alaskan Natives were observed for nasopharyngeal, salivary gland, kidney, and gallbladder and liver cancers. Conversely, decreased risks were found for cancers of the lung, larynx, bladder, prostate gland, breast, and corpus uterus and for melanoma and lymphoma.

Alaska↗